Dr. John Bruinsma, for the first time, now has some science to back up that claim.

A pilot study, funded by Lansing-based Delta Dental and conducted with children attending a HeadStart program in Lansing, shows the sugar-free lollipops from Dr. John’s Candies — a maker of sugar-free candies — significantly reduced the oral bacteria that causes tooth decay.

“It certainly gives us credibility,” said Bruinsma, a dentist and the Dr. John behind the Grand Rapids-based Dr. John’s Candies that introduced the herbal lollipops in 2002. “It’s wonderful. We’re really, really happy with the results.”

Developed by UCLA microbiologist Wenyuan Shi and Los Angeles-based research and development company C3 Jian Inc., Dr. John’s orange-flavored, sugarless lollipops use a licorice-root extract that targets and is believed to kill the bacteria primarily responsible for tooth decay.

In the research study, conducted by the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the School of Dentistry and Dental Research Institute at UCLA, 100 high-risk children given Dr. John’s lollipops twice a day for three weeks experienced a significant reduction in oral bacteria that leads to tooth decay.

Researchers said subsequent clinical trials are warranted.

If validated in follow-up third-party studies, the herbal lollipops could represent a low-cost breakthrough in preventing tooth decay in children.

“The potential for a simple, effective (cavity-prevention) protocol for high-risk children is demonstrated in this study,” researchers concluded.

To Dr. John’s Candies, the validation could very well begin opening major business opportunities.

When the lollipops were featured in a segment on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in 2008, Dr. John’s Candies received numerous inquiries from several large national retailers and distributors — all of which wanted to see third-party verification of the product.

The Delta Dental study enables the company to go back and continue those conversations from a few years ago, Bruinsma said.

“Now that we have it (scientific validation), we’re looking into how we can utilize it,” he said. “There’s no question it can help us on our growth and our ability to distribute.”

Dr. John’s presently distributes primarily through its own website and dental offices.Bruinsma and his wife, Deb, a dental hygienist and Dr. John’s vice president, started the company in 1995 to make sugar-free candies. They introduced the herbal lollipops after Shi, of UCLA, contacted them in 2002.

Since 2008, the company has enjoyed solid growth. Revenues grew 15 percent in 2009, 20 percent on 2010 and is on pace for 25 percent in 2011. The herbal lollipops are made in Michigan, though Bruinsma declined to say where.

Delta Dental’s Research and Data Institute funded the pilot study to determine whether the herbal lollipops work as promised to reduce tooth decay — which can have significant cost and health implications over a person’s lifetime, Chief Science Officer Jed Jacobson said.

No cavities as a child, for instance, means a person won’t need to have fillings replaced or restoration work done as an adult, he said.

Jacobson called the initial results at the Greater Lansing Area HeadStart “very encouraging.” He cautions, though, that the pilot study only shows how well the lollipops worked on high-risk children and, as with any research, further third-party studies are needed to validate the initial findings and on other test groups.

“We always have to be careful that we don’t overstate our findings,” Jacobson said.

Delta Dental may fund additional research. Should it further prove out the effectiveness of the licorice-root lollipops, Jacobson envisions the potential for the insurer’s philanthropic arm to support the distribution of the lollipops to children in settings such as HeadStart programs, schools and daycares.

In doing so, Delta Dental would follow the practice of its counterparts in the medical insurance field in moving toward a model that promotes prevention and health, rather than paying for just treatment.

“The best thing you can do to get your health care costs down is to stay healthy,” Jacobson said.

The lollipops are just one of two sugar-free product lines from Dr. John’s Candies that hold potential health benefits.

The company two years ago began making sugar-free candies with Xylitol, a proven cavity fighter, that appeals to people such as diabetics, Bruinsma said.

Dr. John’s has since developed additional products, or “healthy-based treats,” using Xylitol — gourmet, chocolates, gums, hard candies, caramels and drink mixes — and continues to research others, said Bruinsma, who as a dental student years ago never thought he would some day urge his patients to make sure they eat their candy each day.

“That’s one of the fun things about this — turning everything on its head,” he said. “We’ve gotten to the point where eating sweets is OK. It’s relatively healthy.”